Forming

THE GERMS' debut 45 is often cited as the first true Los Angeles punk record. "Forming," the first song written by Darby Crash and crudely recorded in guitarist Pat Smear's parents' garage, captures the band's cultish allure and crushing lack of musicianship. The B-side track, "Sex Boy," was recorded live on the set of Cheech & Chong's Up In Smoke. As Claude Bessy gushes in Slash magazine in 1977, THE GERMS are "beyond music ... mind-boggling ... inexplicably brilliant in bringing monotony to new heights."